Adjustable axle



c. A. GUSTAFSON July 15, 19 52 ADJUSTABLE AXLE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 28, 1949 W W a n W M Wm m l ll T.

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I ADJUSTABLE AXLE Filed March 28, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR.

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' TTORMEY Patented July 15, 1952 California Carl A. 'Gu'stafson, Peoria, as signorto Ca'ter pillar.Traotor'Co.,;Peoria; Inna-corporation; of i Application March 28, lcia'sr'ial No. 83,927

This invention relates to adjustable supports for axles which carry wheels having brakes.

For purposes of illustration, this invention is disclosed. in its applicationto axles supporting theground engaging wheels of "an earth-moving scraper. It will be apparentfro m the disclosure however, ,that'tlie invention is not limited to. the combination of equipment shown herein'but is capable of general application in many fields.

A typical earth-moving scraper of the type commonly employed for collecting and moving large quantities of earth and the like usually comprises a large bowl or body member supported on ground engaging wheels and is adapted to be drawn behind a suitable draft vehicle. The bowl is provided with a scraping edge adjacent its forward portion and may be lowered to bring the scraping edge into contact with the ground to effect collection of earth therein. Such scrapers are capable of doing relatively close grading and are often used to establish the final grade in an excavating project. It is, therefore, desirable that the scraping edge be parallel with the surface of the ground thus permitting the formation of a continuous grade. In the event that the blade is not parallel to the ground, the lower edge will enter the ground first and will have a tendency to further emphasize the out of level condition due to the downward thrust of the digging portion of the blade.

It is conventional practice to provide a means of leveling the scraping edge with respect to the surface of the ground by adjusting the axle supporting the ground engaging wheels relative to the scraper bowl frame. In the past, this was accomplished by providing an eccentric mounting for the axle shaft so that upon rotation of the shaft, the wheels could either be raised or lowered with respect to the scraper bowl frame. However, when brakes are provided on the wheels, the problem of reacting the braking torque and at the same time permitting adjustment of the axle in its support makes the use of the conventional methods of adjusting the wheels relative to the scraper bowl impractical.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide improved means for adjusting an axle shaft with respect to its supporting frame. Another object of this invention is to provide a slidable means of reacting the braking torque transmitted from a wheel to the supporting frame of a wheel axle thus permitting adjustment of the axle in its supporting frame, Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made apparent in the following specification wherein 1 Claim. (01. zet -'44) reference is made to the accompanying. drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is alview'in rear end elevation of an earth-.movingscraper incorporating the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of awheel and axle assembly; V

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation taken along the line IVIV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 illustrates the rear portion of an earthmoving scraper of a type commonly employed for collecting and carrying large quantities of earth. The scraper comprises a bowl l0, carried on ground engaging wheels II and is adapted to be drawn behind a suitable draft vehicle in a conventional manner. The bowl may be lowered, bringing its scraping edge Illa into contact with the ground, to effect collection of earth therein and is provided with a pusher block l2 supported from a pair of spaced brackets I3 extending rearwardly from the bowl against which an auxiliary vehicle may push to facilitate loading.

As is best illustrated in Fig. 2, each of the wheels is supported for rotation on spaced bearings I4, carried on an axle shaft [5. The shaft [5 is supported at its outer end from a frame member [6 which may also form a side of the scraper bowl as illustrated and is non-rotatably secured to the frame by means of a clamp 11. The clamp is adjustable relative to the frame member l6 by means of shims indicated at [8. At its inner end, the shaft [5 is rigidly secured as by cap screws H) to an end cap 2| which embraces the axle and is adjustably secured by means of bolts 22 to the bracket l3 extending rearwardly from the scraper bowl. Each of the bolts 22 extends through elongated slots 23 provided in the bracket l3 to permit vertical sliding movement of the end cap relative to the bracket. A pair of spaced lugs 24 extending from the end cap are received within an elongated recess 25 provided in the bracket 13 to prevent lateral sliding or twisting movement of the end cap relative to the bracket. The bracket is also provided with a pair of overhanging ears 26, each having a threaded aperture for the reception of an adjusting screw 2'! adapted to engage the upper edge of the end cap 2|. The adjusting screws 21 provide a means of vertically adjusting the position of the end cap relative to the bracket and each is provided with a lock nut 28 for retaining it in its adjusted position.

Each of the wheels has a brake mechanism operated from the draft vehicle by any conventional means not shown. Eachtbrake comprises a drum 3|, rigidly secured as by cap screws 32 to thewheel II and a pair of arcuate brake shoes, only one of which is illustrated at 33 in Fig. ,2 as disposed within the drum. Each of the brake shoes is pivotally connected by means of a pin 34 to, an anchor plate 35 of annular form, secured to an outwardly projecting flange 36 of end cap 2|. The brake shoes are preferably lined with a suitable friction material in-' dicated at 31 and are adapted to swing outwardly into frictional engagement with the drum 3|. Dirt and other foreign material is prevented from entering the brake drum by a pair of dirt shields 38. The torque exerted during braking is transmitted through the lugs 24 on end cap 2| to the bracket [3 and thus is prevented from acting on the shaft 15. This presents an obvious advantage over structures wherein it is necessary that braking torque be reacted through an axle and atthe same time I claim:

In combination a vehicle having a frame,

a wheel with a brake, and an axle supported by the wheel and. supporting the frame, an ad-' justable connection between the axle and frame comprising a cap like member embracing an end of the axle, a brake drum carried by the wheel and surrounding said cap like member, an anchor plate carried bythe cap like member within the brake drum, brake shoes pivotally supported by said anchor plate and adapted to swing into braking contact with said drum, and means to secure the cap like member to the frame for vertical butnon-rotatable adjustment whereby the torque 'of brakingwill be transmitted to the frame.

' CARL A. GUSTAFSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

, UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 2,422,462 Ash June 17, 1947 

